AN ACT Relating to appliance efficiency standards; and amending RCW 43.21F.045.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1. Section 4, chapter 295, Laws of 1981 and RCW 43.21F.045 are each amended to read as follows:

The energy office shall have the following duties:

(1) The office shall prepare and update contingency plans for implementation in the event of energy shortages or emergencies. The plans shall conform to chapter 43.21G RCW and shall include procedures for determining when these shortages or emergencies exist, the state officers and agencies to participate in the determination, and actions to be taken by various agencies and officers of state government in order to reduce hardship and maintain the general welfare during these emergencies. The office shall coordinate the activities undertaken pursuant to the subsection with other persons. The components of plans that require legislation for their implementation shall be presented to the legislature in the form of proposed legislation at the earliest practicable date. The office shall report to the governor and the legislature on probable, imminent, and existing energy shortages, and shall administer energy allocation and curtailment programs in accordance with chapter 43.21G RCW.

(2) The office shall establish and maintain a central repository in state government for collection of existing data on energy resources, including:

(a) Supply, demand, costs, utilization technology, projections, and forecasts;

(b) Comparative costs of alternative energy sources, uses, and applications; and

(c) Inventory data on energy research projects in the state conducted under public and/or private auspices, and the results thereof.

(3) The office shall coordinate federal energy programs appropriate for state-level implementation, carry out such energy programs as are assigned to it by the governor or the legislature, and monitor federally funded local energy programs as required by federal or state regulations.

(4) The office shall develop energy policy recommendations for consideration by the governor and the legislature.

(5) The office shall provide assistance, space, and other support as may be necessary for the activities of the state's two representatives to the Pacific northwest electric power and conservation planning council. To the extent consistent with federal law, the office shall request that Washington's council members request the administrator of the Bonneville power administration to reimburse the state for the expenses associated with the support as provided in the Pacific northwest electric power planning and conservation act (P.L. 96-501).

(6) The office shall cooperate with state agencies, other governmental units, and private interests on energy matters.

(7) The office shall represent the interests of the state in the siting, construction, and operation of nuclear waste storage and disposal facilities.

(8) The office shall serve as the official state agency responsible for coordination of energy-related activities.

(9) No later than December 1, 1982, and by December 1st of each even-numbered year thereafter, the office shall prepare and transmit to the governor and the legislature a report on energy supply and demand, conservation, and other factors including but not limited to:

(a) An overview of the anticipated energy situation in the state and region.

(b) An assessment of the energy resources available to the state.

(d) Identification of barriers and constraints to the rapid achievement of conservation and energy resource development, together with proposals for eliminating or reducing the barriers and constraints. The identification shall include but is not limited to statutes and federal, state, or local governmental regulations applicable to the state of Washington.

(e) A summary of the major energy conservation and resource development programs underway in the state.

(f) An analysis of the means by which the projected annual rate of energy demand growth may be reduced together with an estimate of the amount of reduction to be obtained by each of the means analyzed, and the cost of each option.

(10) The office shall provide support for increasing cost-effective energy conservation, including assisting in the removal of impediments to timely implementation.

(11) The office shall provide support for the development of cost-effective energy resources including assisting in the removal of impediments to timely construction.

(12) The office shall prescribe, by regulation, standards for minimum levels of operating efficiency, based on a reasonable use pattern, for appliances whose use, as determined by the office, requires a significant amount of energy on a state-wide basis. The minimum levels of efficiency shall be based on attainable efficiencies which will reduce the electrical energy consumption growth rate for appliances. The standards shall be adopted within one year of the effective date of this 1986 act and shall become effective no sooner than one year after adoption.

No new appliance manufactured on or after the effective date of the standards may be sold or offered for sale in this state, unless it is certified by the manufacturer thereof to be in compliance with the standards.

(13) The office shall adopt rules, under chapter 34.04 RCW, necessary to carry out the powers and duties enumerated in this chapter.